The present invention is directed toward a pool skimmer and more particularly toward a simple manually operated device which can be used to skim and thereby clean the upper surface of either an in-ground or above-ground swimming pool.
Those who own or must maintain a swimming pool are well aware of the problems involved in keeping the same clean, safe and inviting. Metal objects, stones and other debris often fall to the bottom of the pool while leaves, insects and other types of light or more buoyant debris float on the surface for extended periods. All such unsightly debris, however, must periodically be cleaned from the pool since it can become both a safety and health hazard.
Built-in automatic skimmers of swimming pools are not very effective in removing the surface debris. Furthermore, such automatic systems can easily become clogged. Thus, there remains the need for periodically manually cleaning debris from a pool.
The largest majority of pool cleaning devices which are on the market and have been proposed resemble a fishing net or the like and include a substantially oval-shaped frame having netting material suspended therefrom and a handle extending outwardly from the frame. Such devices are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,220,037; 3,368,686; 4,152,801; 4,198,720 and 4,481,117.
While these prior art patents can be used to skim the top surface of a pool in varying degrees of effectiveness, they are designed and are more useful for picking up specific objects from the bottom of a pool. The shape of the net, the size of the net opening and the angles at which the handles extend from the netting frame make it extremely difficult and time consuming to use these devices to effectively skim the surface of a pool.
Devices have also been proposed specifically for cleaning or skimming only the surface of a swimming pool. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,053,412 and 4,089,074, for example, show floating net devices which are intended to be positioned adjacent to the edge of a pool to collect debris from the surface water as it passes through the net. However, these nets are relatively small and are located in only one location. The improbable assumption is made that all of the surface water will pass through the net. This simply does not occur, and the limited skimming capability is completely lost when the pool water pump is not operating. Pool pumps are seldom operated more than 8 to 10 hours per day. Cleaning of the debris from the nets is very awkward and time-consuming.
The pool skimming net shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,109 is somewhat larger than previously described devices and is rectangular in shape so as to cover a larger area of the pool surface. However, this device is intended to be rigidly fixed to the side edge of an in-ground pool and, again, can only clean all of the surface water if it all passes through the netting. Again, highly improbable. Furthermore, if the direction of water flow should change for any reason such as shutting off the pool pump, any debris which had collected on one side of the net would be dislodged therefrom and would simply fall back into the water. Cleaning of the net would be time-consuming primarily due to the need of unfastening it from the mounting bracket. The permanently mounted bracket would also present a hazard to bathers when the net is not used.
The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,001 is also specifically designed to clean debris from the surface of a pool. This device is comprised of an elongated flexible floating net which is fixed to the pool at one end. With the use of an elongated handle, the other end of the flexible net is maneuvered around the pool so that debris is collected in the loop formed by the device. While, in principle, it would appear that this device could easily and quickly clean debris from the surface of a pool, the device is approximately 20 to 40 feet long. Thus, once the debris is collected, it is almost impossible to withdraw the device from the water without losing most of the debris back into the water. Complete cleaning of the netting is again awkward and time-consuming. Furthermore, this patented device must be used to clean the entire pool and cannot reasonably be used to spot clean, i.e. to clean debris from a limited area.